A Snow Day

Last Wednesday old man Winter dropped 17 inches of snow on Madison. The university cancelled classes, the city buses weren't running and the news people told us to stay home. We happily complied and used the day to make tasty treats, work on Christmas cards and shovel a bit of snow (don't worry - we just scooped the little bit that fell after our neighbor used the snowblower :)

Ice Cream in November

The weather in Wisconsin this weekend was lovely. What a treat to have an almost-60-degree day so close to Thanksgiving! We took advantage of it by getting outside to throw the frisbee and football around yesterday, and today we rode our bikes to the Memorial Union for Babcock ice cream. Mmm, that ice cream is oh-so-good and it tasted even better given that we were eating it outside by the lake on a calm and mild November day.

A poll!

People have begun to make their guesses about the gender of our little babe, so I thought I'd make an experiment of it with a poll. You'll find it in the sidebar and you can only vote once. Will the odds be better than 50:50? Will your collective guessing powers be accurate? Can't wait to find out!

Happy Tidbits

Two unrelated but happy bits to share with you all today. First, Steve and I were so fortunate last week to be on the receiving end of the kindness of a stranger. A sweet woman (found on craigslist!) who is done having kids gave us no less than a co-sleeper bassinet, two sling carriers, and a mobile! We figured we could have spent upwards of $300 if we had bought this stuff new and quite a bit even for the used items as they were all in great condition. What a sweet gift for us. Kindness that makes the world seem right.

The second bit of news is less swarmy, but equally good. I was able to get an H1N1 shot at my regular Dr. appointment yesterday. From what I have read about this particular flu and the vaccine, I believe the benefits of immunity to this bug far outweigh any potential risks involved. I feel good knowing that I should be well protected when I enter the third trimester in 5 weeks, and that I should be able to pass on this protection to our little one when they arrive.

Baby is definitely making its presence known lately; kicking, rolling and twitching up a storm this week!

Peek-a-boo

We got a sneak peak of infant-to-be on Friday :) The ultrasound was truly amazing. You can see so much with this technology these days! Our tech found and measured the head, abdomen, spine, long bones in the arms and legs, kidneys, bladder, stomach, and the heart with all 4 chambers. Everything was measuring right on - its heart was beating 156 bpm and babe is weighing in at about 367 grams (about 13 oz). We had to wait a few minutes for the baby to flip so we could take a look at its face, but it was very cooperative and gave us these great profile shots:
It's looking so much like a full size infant, that we can hardly wait to hold him/her (yep, we kept the gender a surprise) in our arms. Here we are on Halloween - the proud parents-to-be :)

Kickin' it

I am very excited to report that I have been feeling definite movement from the babe lately! The first day I knew without a doubt that I was feeling baby was last Monday. That put me at almost 18 weeks, which is just about the time most women report feeling movement in a first pregnancy. So far it seems like this little one likes to be very average - which the doctor tells us is exactly where you want it to be :)

Since then I've been feeling little flutters here and there, and once in awhile something stronger that must be a good kick. I figure this kid probably has long legs, so I should probably get used to the kicking!

Looking for a little clip-art to go along with this post, I found this cute/scary (you decide) Baby Kick Maternity T-shirt. Very ninja-like.

Hobbies

Weekends have been dedicated to our hobbies lately. We are both so busy during the week - with work, volleyball games and other commitments - that it is a real treat to relax a bit and do the things we really want to do when the weekend rolls around. Steve brewed a few batches of beer in the last few weekends, including one that will age for several months. It's a low alcohol porter-style beer that he's dubbing 'Big Baby Porter' - as it will be done cooking just about the same time as the baby. Which, of course, I'm pretty happy about since that means I'll be able to partake :)
Much of my free weekend time has been spent getting back into knitting after a summer sabbatical. I've been especially fond of knitting hats, because their round, compact shape makes for such a nice and neat little project. And because everyone likes a good hat, right? My first project was a hat for Steve. I had to make sure I did this one first before I get enveloped in the wonderful world of baby knits. (More on that later, to be sure). It's called a Watchcap and has been quite nice for these brisk fall days we've been having lately. I smile every time I see him wear it :)
Hope you all are finding little bits of time to pursue your hobbies as the weather gets cooler!

The belly

Well, I suppose it's about time to post a belly pic here. Over the past few weeks my pants have gotten pretty tight. I think it's safe to say I've got a little belly going. It's exciting to experience this change - a true outward sign that our little bean is growing :)

Here is a 15 week picture:
And for comparison, a picture at 5 weeks, just after we found out:

Travels & Treasures

We had such a nice time on our *little* road trip last week. Perfect weather for camping and hiking near the shore of Lake Superior. While in the UP, we stayed at Porcupine Mountains State Park in a secluded campground, on a cliff overlooking Lake Superior. We walked along the shore and found several chairs made from the large flat stones that littered the beach. The pic below is Steve relaxing on one of the stone chairs at sunset. So peaceful.

The next night we stayed at the cutest B&B in Au Train, MI. What a treat to sleep in a soft bed and be waited on by a gracious host. It was a quick drive from the B&B to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, where we hiked down to a beautiful, secluded beach. The water was cold and refreshing and the smooth rocks in the shallows were a rainbow of colors.

The trip culminated last weekend with the wedding of one of my very best friends. It was so nice to spend the day with friends and celebrating love. Fun, silliness, and shutter shades - what more can you ask for? Love you Melis.

Ah Friday! I am especially grateful for Friday this week, because tomorrow we will embark on an 'Epic' road trip. It's the wedding season in our lives and we've got 2 weddings the next 2 weekends (not to mention that wedding we went to last weekend). The first is in Minnesota and the second in Kentucky.

So how does one make their way from MN to KY you ask? Well, we think a most fun (although not exactly direct) route is through the U.P. of Michigan. So we will spend the next 9 days driving and camping and B&Bing and staying with loved ones, through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and back to Wisconsin again. This is a much needed vacation for both of us and we are really looking forward to the quiet and relaxing times as well as the fun party times. Should be a great trip and I hope to have some nice pics to share with you when we return.

FYI for the Hammons family KY crew: Steve and I will make a brief appearance at the Darpel family reunion next Sunday before we head back home. Hope we can see many of you there!

Well I am officially 11 weeks along now. Steve and I are starting to feel much more comfortable telling people our news and I think it's just beginning to seem real to us. I've been incredibly lucky as far as first trimester symptoms go. Hardly any nausea to speak of and my energy levels are still pretty good. Steve can attest to the occasional wacky mood swing though :).

We hope that this blog will be a way for us to connect and share with our family and friends throughout this pregnancy and beyond. It can be tough to be far away from the people we love, but I really like the way that sharing words and pictures in a place like this can make you feel instantly connected again. Come back every week for updates on our growing bean and other fun stuff we've got going on here in Madison.

For your viewing pleasure, here is our early sonogram from 9 weeks, 1 day. The baby was just about 1 inch long with a heartrate of 180bpm. And you can even see a foot!

A little picture puzzle:

Yep, you got it. A new little pea will appear in March!